What if....

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots’. Luke 23:34 NIV
 

As I read this verse this morning, this thought hit me like a ton of bricks – what if most of our conflicts and issues with people/issues stems from ‘we did not know’. So, I invite you to walk with me with my musing on this subject.

The verse carries a powerful punch when you realize what is culminated in this one moment in history, and the willingness to show grace, mercy and true power through restraint of the Savior. Christ understood unequivocally this was not just for momentary legend but for enduring legacy. He got it, everything He did mattered, and wanted to provide an example for us to follow. He understood the issue was not about what they were seeing and questioning about, it was always about His presence challenging their core values, ideologies, fundamental truths, and beliefs.  But because of the unconscious competitive psychology of wanted to be right, to win, to one-up someone, to show I am just as good, he was tested and crucified. The battles ensued through his lifetime and beyond. They would not release the tight hold on their religious stance, or become open to a truth outside of their own; as they were, we are today. So, if they could not dominate, then they set out to destroy; as they did, we still do. Thus, we are now in a position follow this example set, not ignore it...it is funny how things change, they remain the same…

Not following the example set in this moment in time by many profess to follow,  we miss a very powerful lesson provided in this statement – Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. With this one statement, our redeemer looks at the consequential outcome of his actions, and the truth they didn’t know.  It was not about you, me, or them, it was about us as a collective to have the same opportunity to come to the throne of grace. It was not about trumping anyone by pointing out their wrong but loving them, working to bring others to the Father and letting him reconcile them to himself. Somewhere this has gotten lost in the translation of living on this journey, and we have decided, we should clean them, or we had to be clean or just right before coming. We seem have not realized this defeats the purpose of this day of sacrificial offering by one for us all…we got to do better

What if we would begin to look at all our difference, conflict, disagreement with ‘…for they do not know what they are doing Living out our truth..’ knowing all the time, the they here represents you, me, us..It is our choice; choosing well is imperative…

The New Year, now what....

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 NIV

Walking in God’s will requires surrendering to God’s way; always going from the inside out because out of the heart the tongue speaks, and the body behaves. The holidays are over and the New Year has arrived. Some didn’t make it, while others did but don’t know it, but for the rest of us, we are still here in our reality box. Those are the people I shall focus on in this blog.

Most have made some promises, resolutions, or goals for this year having to do with change in some shape or form. The question we really must ask ourselves is, ‘Am I willing do what it takes to change to be the person I spoke about in the pre-new year dialogue exchanges?’ Or have the sobering thoughts of the work required, and reality showed us its face; and now we are scared off. Thus, we have chosen to just let it go quietly into that good night with all the others from past years.  Because the truth of the matter is to get different, we have to have become different; change.

We must examine the inward person, the person on the inside because foundational change has to come from there, or it is a short-lived change. It means walking outside the box of our reality intentionally and strategically. Processing the public, private, and secrets truths about ourselves, we have locked away from public view and our view with the tools of love, grace, and honesty. The choice is ours, it is within our power, we just have to make the choice to choose it. It is the New Year, we have made it, no more philosophical conversation, theoretical analogies, or spiritual hypothesis of what if, we are now here. The question is ‘Now What’… The answer lies in each of us, and the spark of change begins with our hearts…Choose well

2012 Presidential Election…Now What?!

³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group  and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. John 8:3-9
The president election for 2012 is over, and now what?! The aftermath has brought out the worse of us. There is outrage that borderlines for me madness. The thing that bothers me the most is Christians espousing things that make no sense. It as if people did not believe the lost was an option, when the reality is, it is the reality for both until the election is over; failing to consider this sets one up for pain. Therefore, we need to stay cognizant of some fundamental truths form the start, as not to be overwhelmed when what we desired, does not come the pass. These are some trues to the elections – there were people who voted for both candidate based of race, there people who made a protest vote against one candidate and it had nothing principles or policy, and people who voted based on ‘what we always done’ in each party. However, what got me puzzled, is this, we all want what is best for the country, but unwilling to work because I didn’t win? God forbid!!! What I witnessed on varied media outlets advocating a position so desperately it fails to see, it contradict the very thing desired – a better America. So, go with me if you please as we examine the aftermath in terms of the verses above.
In the verses above, the summation question is posed to the righteous statesmen, he who is without sin, cast the first stone. Well no one threw a stone at the lady of ill-repute, and they all walked away from the youngest to the oldest. The point is this none of us is without error, there are other things here, but for this argument we are focusing on the fact they all walked away. No one was willing to work with her, and see how they might help, once what they wanted was not going to be done, they were done; really!? This seem to be the same attitude plaguing our country…now let me state for the record both parties do this, but for now the spotlight is on the right-wingers; however, I am not to jaded to believe the rest of the country is exempt from this behavior… I am wondering when shall we move from this finger pointing, transactional exchange to doing the work resulting in transformational exchange. Where we all work together for the greater good; not just for what I want and believe to be the best. Resulting in an expanded perspective and growth for us all, not just for some of us. Where we would move away from this notion of, if it is not my way, then I don’t want to engage, and walk away because sooner, rather than later, we shall see, what we put out comes back to us. We should not let ourselves be victims where ‘Good is the enemy of great’ (Good to Great by Jim Collins); letting things stay as they are because I like it this way, and besides ‘I am good.’
See, it requires more than just knowing right and understanding right or the best course of action to take, it also includes the willingness to do the work to get the improved outcome. WE adamantly say, we desire.  We, Americans, regardless of race, gender, faith, SES, sexual orientation, etc. the best for our country and the people. But we will never achieve it espousing a position, unyielding in our approach to change. We must be willing to work, and not walking away because we didn’t get what we wanted… does nothing to move us forward….We cannot move forward staying still, holding my unwilling to do the work to get there…your choice, choose well!!

Be still...and know I am...

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth. Psalm 46:10 KJ21

Be still and I know, I am God, what a wonder statement for us to repeat, and hold to in this life. However, the rest of the verse makes a statement as well - … I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth… Now I am not sure if we really pay attention to the full verse, or the chapter. It begins with God is our refuge, and ends the chapter with God is our refuge. When I read the verse again, okay truth, it popped in my mind as I am watching the frenzy around me in the world from the election to young people going back to school. I begin to query what does this really mean? Is it really about not doing anything, or about not letting fear, distractions, traditions, ideological constructs, etc impede our ability to let what God allowed in our life, to teach us; I believe the latter things. Some of which we create with our own poor choices, bad decision making, denial, and yes, fear, and what we did not have control of,  but all were allowed by God.

We seem to forget, what God allows in our life is not meant to destroy us, or stymie us into doing nothing. Rather, I concluded what He is saying is don’t get caught up in the madness of circumstances, we too soon forget, He is who rules, and control. See He just wants us to let the discomfort of the thing, to not engulf us, but propel, prepare, and position us with what we need. Not for us to buy into, accept, or get on board with anything that makes you lie down, or put aside your belief of who He is. To not get so twisted up in, this should not happen to me, or why me. We forget, His ways are not my ways, His logic, order is not mind. If He is my prophet, priest and King, then I should trust Him, not the distractions around me; no matter what is occurring. Keep doing what you know, you are to do, even if it is an uncomfortable place for you. Know! for all things in life, there is an expiration date on it; now it might not be the TL (timeline) you desire, but it is about God, but it is for your good.

See it is a reason our Saviour states, ‘Ye, of little faith, or Why did you doubt’. We too quickly let the fervor of a thing put us in a place where, we forget, and become more focus on what we see, driven by our emotions, and not holding to what we purport to hold as true belief, our guiding compass in our life. Iyanla Vanzant when she says – call a thing, a thing – because identifying it makes it easier to deal with it.

When we focus on God, and push beyond the fear, the traditions, the comfort, and let go into His will we shall be as the water in this verse.….‘And He arose, and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 KJ21’…See Jesus wanted us know, I with you no matter the time, the place, the circumstances, or people, when you follow me; I go with you… The problem is not word, it is in us trusting and following His word …How long shall we continue, in the bowl half self-governed and half-godcentric… Your choice, choose well…

I wish...

I wish, more would be okay with being imperfect, so we could become more truthful with ourselves. I wish, we would be open to accepting the imperfection of man, and love it as much as our perfect God. I wish, the perfidy would decrease, so we could begin to fix the problems we work so hard to hide. I wish, what we look like on the outside was not such a deterrent to others, so we would get a chance to see, we are brothers/sisters for another mother but the same Heavenly Father. I wish, we did not let our ideological differences, political parties allegiance, religious diversities, sexual orientation, and ethnic multiplicity stop us from reaching in to help, rather than pushing away to destroy and ignore. I wish, old age wasn’t such a crime against nature in our society, and we would embrace it, rather pay big bucks to keep it at bay. I wish, we would provide more than good intentions, and follow it up with great actions. I wish, we would learn to take the highroad to compose ourselves properly, and not give way to outrage because it easier. Too often though, we do not adequately teach our future generations the way of right so they might avoid some of the pitfalls that befell us. We would rather offer scolding, and not guidance and instruction. We would rather threaten and talk about, than provide legacy instructions for a better way. Changing our attitudes toward each other is the first step toward seeing greatness in another. We would find that true light shines the brightest when we seek the best in each other…. I wish….the God we say, we serve reign supreme so that the love He teaches reigns infintely!!!...My wish, what is yours? Your choice, choose well...smiling